Who is Ken Paxton? Trump's 'True MAGA Warrior' Pick Faces Child Sex Abuse Case Scandal

Ken Paxton has spent over a decade as one of America's most combative attorneys general, filing lawsuits against federal immigration policies, challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election, and surviving a historic impeachment trial. Now, with a Texas Senate seat within reach and a fresh Trump endorsement in hand, a new controversy threatens to define how voters see him — and it has nothing to do with his political rivals.

President Trump declared Paxton a 'true MAGA Warrior' in a Truth Social post on 19 May, throwing his weight behind the Texas Attorney General ahead of a 26 May Republican primary runoff against four-term Senator John Cornyn. The endorsement landed just days after a Texas Tribune investigation revealed that prosecutors from Paxton's own office had offered a Waco man charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy a plea deal that amounted to a single day in jail.

From the Statehouse to the Courtroom

Paxton has served as the Republican Attorney General of Texas since 2015, having first won the office in 2014 as an ally of the Tea Party movement. Over the years, he built a reputation as a hardline conservative and a reliable ally of Donald Trump, filing the unsuccessful Texas v. Pennsylvania case in the US Supreme Court and speaking at the rally Trump held on 6 January 2021 that preceded the attack on the Capitol.

His career has not been without serious turbulence. In May 2023, the Republican-led Texas House voted to impeach Paxton on a 121 to 23 vote, alleging that he had abused his office to help a political donor, which led to his suspension as attorney general. The State Senate voted to acquit him in September 2023 and he resumed his duties. He later settled a nine-year criminal case on securities fraud charges in 2024, paying nearly $300,000 (£236,000) in restitution.

The Plea Deal That Shocked a Judge

At the centre of the latest controversy is the case of Adam Dean Hoffman, a Waco attorney accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy over several years. Paxton's office took over the case roughly three years ago after the locally elected district attorney recused himself. A trial last year ended in a hung jury, with five jurors leaning towards acquittal and seven believing the boy's testimony proved guilt. Prosecutors were then left to decide whether to retry the case — which would have required the victim to testify again — or negotiate a deal.

They chose to negotiate. The agreement they initially offered would have allowed Hoffman to plead guilty to two misdemeanours and serve just one day in jail. The presiding judge, Roy Sparkman, was not satisfied. 'One day. Seriously? Somebody has to sell me on the wisdom of it,' Sparkman said, according to a transcript of an April 2026 hearing. Sparkman eventually insisted on a 60-day jail sentence after the victim's mother changed her position at the final sentencing hearing. 'It's just not enough. He's dangerous. This isn't justice, and I can't do it,' she told the court.

'A Pattern' of Lenient Deals

The Hoffman case is not the only one drawing scrutiny. Judge Sparkman noted similarities with another case his court had handled, involving a separate Waco defence attorney charged with solicitation of capital murder. That case also ended in a mistrial under Paxton's office before being resolved with a misdemeanour plea and a four-day jail sentence. 'I'm seeing a pattern here that is concerning me,' Sparkman said in open court, referring to how Paxton's office handles cases that go to mistrial.

A third case highlighted in campaign attack ads involves a man originally charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution — a charge that carried a potential life sentence — who received a probation deal from Paxton's prosecutors after a 2022 mistrial. That man was later rearrested and is now serving a 22-year prison sentence.

Trump's Endorsement and Senate GOP Resistance

Despite the mounting criticism, Trump moved forward with his endorsement this week. 'Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN,' Trump wrote. Of the incumbent he is seeking to unseat, Trump added: 'John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.'

Senate Republicans have largely backed Cornyn, viewing him as a safer general election candidate against Democratic nominee James Talarico. Senator Susan Collins of Maine called Paxton an 'ethically challenged individual,' while praising Cornyn as an 'outstanding senator' who deserved the president's support. Senator Lindsey Graham acknowledged that 'the pathway for Paxton is there but it's more uphill and it will cost more.'

Cornyn responded to the endorsement by urging Texas Republicans to consider the broader stakes. 'It is now time for Texas Republican voters to decide if they want a strong nominee to help our GOP candidates down ballot and defeat Talarico in November, or a weak nominee who jeopardises everything we care about,' he posted on X.

The controversy surrounding Paxton's office lands at a particularly sensitive moment. Paxton has long presented himself as tough on crime, and has actively sought to expand his office's authority over local prosecutors — including pushing a rule requiring district attorneys to report their activities to his office. The child sex abuse plea deal, and the pattern of similar outcomes in cases his office prosecuted, now sits at the heart of a debate about whether the man seeking to represent Texas in the Senate lives up to the standards he publicly demands of others. Early voting in the runoff is already under way, with Texans casting their ballots ahead of the 26 May date.